Agriculture faces existential crisis in Bihar’s ‘pulses bowl’ of Mokama Tal

By Rahul Kumar Gaurav

“I also come from the same area. The local farmers are unable to farm due to water logging and are on the brink of starvation. The problem is very serious. Only one crop can be harvested, on which the entire region is dependent. Work on it quickly,” remarked Vijay Sinha, former speaker in the Bihar Assembly, while telling the then state water resources minister, Sanjay Jha, about ‘Mokama Tal’, the state’s ‘pulses bowl’, in 2021.

Mokama Tal is spread over more than 100,000 hectares of land in the four districts of Patna, Nalanda, Lakhisarai and Sheikhpura. It is about 90 kilometres away from state capital Patna and is considered to be the main centre of pulse cultivation in Bihar.

The region is the second-largest masur (lentil) producing area in the country, with large quantities of lentils, gram, peas and rye pulses being produced there.

The Tal is a natural water conservation area of the Ganga river. Every year, during the rainy season, water accumulates in the entire area up to a height of eight to 10 feet.

After the rains end, this water drains into the Ganga through the local Harohar river around September or October. After this, farmers cultivate only pulses and oilseeds on this land. However, due to water logging in the Tal for the last several years, good quality crops are not being grown. Most of the farmers here, who depend on farming, have been unable to farm due to water logging.

Wither pulses?

Bunty Pathak is a resident of Mokama and a writer by profession. He said, “This area is quite fertile due to availability of surface water all year-round. There is still no need for fertiliser and irrigation. Hence, the yield is also quite high. However, water has accumulated in the Tal for the last 7-8 years. Due to this, farming is not possible over many acres.”

Pathak added that while politicians promise 2-3 crops annually in the Tal, the ground reality is that not even a single crop can be grown. “What used to be our farm on the river has been turned into a drain by government contractors. The youth are migrating due to there being no industry. If there is no agriculture, entire family units will have to migrate,” he said.

Pranab Shekhar Shahi, a farmer who has raised the issue of farmers in this entire area, said, “Government negligence is the main reason for this problem. The state government has given a lot of budgetary assistance to improve the situation, but no change is visible on the ground. Due to silt, the height of the Ganga has increased, because of which the water from the Tal is no longer able to flow rapidly into the river. The traditional source of drainage from the Tal has been closed.”

Road construction in the areas adjacent to the Tal is also the reason for lack of drainage, according to many locals. The current government has built a bridge at the very spot from where water used to drain out.

According to local farmer leaders, Mokama Tal has a big role, directly and indirectly, in the livelihood of more than 2 million people across more than 500 villages. According to agricultural experts, the period between October 15 and November 15 is considered appropriate for sowing of pulse crops. In such a situation, thousands of acres of fields remain fallow due to crops not being sown on time on account of water logging. Also, due to late sowing, the cost of the crop is not covered. Farmers have been facing this problem for the last decade. No complete system for water drainage has been made yet.

Situation this year

Local farmer Mohit Singh said, “Flood water has receded from about 60 to 70 per cent of the Tal under Mokama and Ghoswari blocks. There is still water in the areas of Lakhanchand, Aunta and Maranchi Tal. However, in the next 10-15 days, water is expected to drain from other areas except Maranchi Tal. Sowing is expected to start after the festival of Chhath. Sowing was going on at some places but farmers stopped due to bad weather.”

Farmer residents of Maranchi Tal are disappointed again this year. There is still a lot of water accumulated in Maranchi Tal. Ravindra, a resident of this place, said, “Last time too, about 700 to 800 acres of land was not cultivated. This time too there is no hope of sowing for a month yet. If the weather permits, sowing can take place in December.”

Local farmer Rahul Sharma said, “This year, the rainy season started with floods in the Tal, even as the rest of Bihar was facing drought. The area remained submerged even after the monsoon because unseasonal rains created a flood-like situation again. The time for sowing of pulses is approaching but the fields in the Tal are filled with water. The soil is not ready for sowing due to being saturated with water. The rains caused by Cyclone Dana have worsened matters. If the situation does not improve soon, pulses will perhaps be not sown in some areas of the region this time. Farmers have no income in a year when pulses are not grown.”

A farmer from Mokama said on the condition of anonymity, “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was misbehaved with in this area long ago. After that, he got angry and said he will make the people here sell peanuts. I don’t know who is responsible for the situation here.” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also been an MP from this region.

This article has been republished from The Down to Earth.